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EKONOMİK
FORUM
128
TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu:
On the cusp of a Fourth
Industrial Revolution
Smart
factories
next
A
Fourth Industrial Revolution,
a topic that has been talked
about over the past few years, is
hinting us that the world is chan-
ging once again. The term itself is
based on a number of develop-
ments, such as the integration
of wider use of the Internet with
flexible production systems and the
inclusion of technology, as an indis-
pensable element, into production
processes. The most critical techno-
logy platforms of the present age
include biotechnology, nanotech-
nology and information-commu-
nication technology. Unfortuna-
tely, Turkey is one of the countries
that have lagged behind in playing
a part on all the three platforms.
What Turkey needs and should re-
ally do urgently is to develop an
appropriate industrial policy and
then focus on technology transfer
in certain areas. Because, focusing
on every relevant area and trying to
succeed on every front, particularly
with limited resources, would only
be a waste of time and money.
I
ndustries, struggling to meet their
own needs through a fast, reliable
and innovative approach, is entering the
era of Industry 4.0, a new industrial re-
form, with rapidly developing means of
technology. In Industry 4.0, or the fourth
industrial revolution, as commonly re-
ferred to, machines employed, each of
which has so far been monitored by a
separate computer, will be controlled
by a host computer. In other words,
factories will be managed by a network
of computers. Production equipment in
factories will communicate and coope-
rate with each other and, in the future,
we will see many unmanned factories
running. The new industrial revolution
will minimize occupational accidents,
reduce operating costs and improve
productivity.
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